These have become statues of shame – DA
President Ramaphosa unveiled R22m statues, drawing mixed reactions over tourism benefits and service delivery concerns.
Today (Tuesday), President Cyril Ramaphosa presided over the official unveiling of statues of struggle icons Oliver Tambo and Nelson Mandela.
The two 9m bronze statues, which reportedly cost the City R22m, tower over North Beach’s beachfront and the Moses Mabhida precinct. The City stands firm on the assertion that the two landmarks would boost tourism and preserve heritage.
The DA has been vocal against what it described as statues of shame. Haniff Hoosen, DA’s eThekwini Mayor-elect, had earlier challenged the president to use his visit to eThekwini to unveil new and desperately needed service delivery infrastructure that delivers water and sewerage to the people of eThekwini, rather than unveiling statues.
He emphasised that his party was not part of the decision to construct the statues, and will continue to speak against it.
“Durban is in the grip of a severe water and electricity crisis. The City is also grappling with ongoing sewer infrastructure failures, posing serious public health and environmental risks. Repeated appeals to City leadership to redirect funding toward essential services have gone largely ignored,” said Hoosen.
On behalf of the family, Oliver Tambo’s nephew, Andile Tambo, said they were honoured and felt privileged to have known Tambo. “O.R. is a well-known figure, associated with the liberation of many South Africans. The nation at large sees him as one person who emancipated them. We are grateful for this honour.”
On the sidelines of opposition, Zwakele Mncwango, Action SA KZN Provincial Chairperson, has been vocal since the erection of the statues last year. “The statues reflect misplaced priorities in a municipality in financial distress. As we speak, the City of eThekwini reportedly has only 17 days’ cash in hand, a clear indication of financial mismanagement.
“We recognise and respect the immense contribution of these liberation stalwarts to democracy but we strongly oppose the ANC-EFF-IFP coalition to allocate R22m towards this project, at a time when the municipality is facing severe financial strain,” Mncwango said.
He concluded that the best way to honour the two stalwarts should have been through ethical governance, fiscal discipline, and improving lives of residents.
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